Welcome to Gaia! ::

Tseng's motivational speech had the gullible banshee star eyed. She could explore with new eyes?! Embrace her... inner BEAST?!

*A*

She let out a strange warking noise and galloped away.



Only with a lot more hair and fur.

That got the spirit of the one student going, and it certainly pleased Tseng. As another came by, he grinned and bowed down to her.

"Greetings! And we are offering free miraculous concoctions! The effects are a bit different each time I've noticed but it won't cause you harm. It might be an improvement in fact! Will you grow bolder? More beautiful? More terrifying? Only a drink will tell!" he said happily, while acting it out with his arms and expression as he did so.

The boil sold her on the magic potion. Something with odd - but harmless - effects that wouldn't be determined until consumed? Sold! Perhaps she should learn a thing or two of caution from Lattice.

"Please, if I may try some?" Needle inquired eagerly, and was of course careful with the flask that was put into her cold, stained hands. She tilted her head to it to hear it slosh in the bottle, determining at least the thickness and amount of liquid within.

Without another thought she brought it to her lips, and as soon as the potion was gulped down, her entire body began to burn. Slowly the sensation began to concentrate, settling in the pit of her stomach and tingling at her eyes. It got so bad that she couldn't ignore it and she bowed her head, lifting her mask only enough to fit her hands under it, to rub furiously at her burning eyes.

The flask had fallen from her grasp, clattering to the ground at her feet.

When a suspicious man hands you a vial and demands that you drink it, the most logical choice would be to not drink it. A day from now, Xiu would wonder what in Jack's name possessed her to try the potion, but until then...well.

Perhaps it was her desire to help the horsemen--and her (likely unwanted) sympathy towards them--that led her to tip the flask back and empty the contents into her mouth. Though her expression twisted up in a grimace, she forced herself to swallow the potion. Though the flavour was not her favourite, it was also not the worst thing that she had drank. There had been quite a few tea brews that had turned out...less than appetizing in the past.

As the baku turned to hand the flask back to the horsemen, her gaze fell on a ghoul standing nearby. She seemed vaguely familiar--and she bore a striking resemblance to someone Xiu knew--but that wasn't that had caught her attention. No, it was just the ghoul herself, and everything about her. Her appearance, the way she carried herself...Xiu's heart was beating rapidly in her chest as she stared at her, a warm blush spreading over her cheeks. What was this feeling?

She couldn't stop staring. The other ghoul was so elegant, so graceful, so pointy. She was like the most beautiful cactus plant that Xiu had ever set her eyes on.

The first ghoul had dropped the flask, and he crouched down to pick it up before straightening to eye both of their newest victims. The small ghoul with flowing white hair seemed to be busy gazing at the first one. Gazing at meant not focusing on answering their questions. "Ghoul, answer the question," he barked at her, and then turned to Tseng.

"That one seems to be turning red, so maybe the transformation isn't working properly? Or these ghouls may not have a spirit animal, or may not have found it yet so the potion doesn't know what to do. Would you mark the potion as a failure or the ghouls themselves?" Yes, that was Soren, discussing the possibility of someone being a failure right in front of them.

All the ghoul seemed to care about was the other ghoul. And she was now looking more feverish. Obviously she was, because she was taking out a flower and reaching far above her head to tuck it behind his hair. What in the name of Secretariat did she think she was doing?

He reached up to rip it out of his hair, gauntlet closing around the insulting plant, when a memory flooded his mind. Astridr tucking a flower he had brought back from a mission into her hair, laughing softly as she did so. Teasing him that she would put it in his hair as he backed away, arms up to ward her off. "But why not Soren? It would look so great in your hair!" Telling her that it looked perfect where it was. Watching her laughter turn into a bemused and happy smile before she reached out for him, pulling his face down to meet her own.

He looked at the crumpled flower in his hand, eyes sad at the destroyed and fragile plant. Astridr would not have wanted that. She would have wanted him to place it in a vase and keep it alive as long as possible. There was only one thing he could do now, try to make it up to the ghoul a bit for destroying her flower. Voice slightly hoarse and appearing a bit more subdued he called out to the first ghoul. "You there. Ghoul. What's your name and tell us about yourself." There, that ought to help the delicate little flower of a ghoul in front of him.

((Xiu has unlocked the secret achievement: Soren's soft spot!))

"I feel---" Needle started to answer the question but the burning returned and she stopped talking to focus entirely on rubbing her eyes under her mask. This feeling was not a good one; it was like all the bundled up frustrations in the entire world had decided to rest in her belly.

"I beg your pardon but I am not a failure!" Needle frowned in irritation. The other ghoul's constant asking after her went unnoticed; surely there were other ghouls in the area. "Whatever has failed with this is entirely on those who made it!" She was frustrated and pent up, and her skin crawled with foreign feelings; the question then became how to find a release. So far, rubbing her eyes didn't work, nor did squirming. She gave up, dropping a hand and just about to set her back back into place when she noticed the most perfect pair of feet. Shadowed and hidden by her mask her eyes travelled up the expanse of leg and up even further, admiring the way the clothing draped so perfectly around that charming form. The Engraver only caught a glimpse of her beautiful face before her heart leapt and her own pale face darkened in a sudden flush, making her fit her mask into place even faster to avoid getting swept away. That ghoul! Oh that ghoul. She yearned for that ghoul. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with that ghoul. Just...that ghoul! Who was she? Could she feel the same way, in time? Aaaaaaaa~

"I will tell you nothing." Needle frowned upon hearing the questions from Horseman who had seen fit to call them failures, her hidden gaze never once leaving the smaller ghoul's form. "You, however..." She trailed off, ghosting closer and leaning down enough to blindly capture a delicate hand. "I would tell you anything..." She purred, pressing cold lips against pale knuckles.

"My name is Needle, what is yours?"

Tseng watched the two girls for the moment, then turned towards Soren with a grin.

"I think we might just have something here! Though.. it's hard to say. Do you think their behavior has something to do with the flask?" he asked the death clansman. Come to think of it, the one boy had a similar reaction thus far, when he didn't turn into anything like a minipet or an alpaca.